Classroom Assessment Literacy

On behalf of Professor Anne Looney, I have the pleasure of inviting you to the third in the series of virtual research conversations with the Awardees of the Institute of Education Research Fellowship. 

This Research Conversation features Dr Zita Lysaght in conversation with Professor Michael O'Leary speaking about  'Classroom Assessment Literacy'

Date: Wednesday 28th October, 6pm-7pm. Please click here or on the invitation below to register for this Zoom Webinar online event. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Dr Zita Lysaght is a member of the School of Policy and Practice at the Institute of Education, DCU, coordinating and teaching classroom assessment and research methodology modules on undergraduate, masters and doctoral programmes. She is a Research Associate with the Centre for Assessment Research and Policy in Education (CARPE) at DCU where she directs and co-leads a number of research projects and serves on both the Centre’s Advisory Panel and Advisory Board.

A graduate of Mary Immaculate College (BEd), Trinity College (MEd; MSc) and DCU (EdD), Zita has worked in primary education at home and abroad (Tanzania), in curriculum design and evaluation (Curriculum Development Unit, Mary Immaculate College; Centre for Research in Technology Education, Trinity College Dublin) and in school leadership (Deputy Principal; Assistant National Coordinator, Leadership Development for Schools Programme). Zita’s work has been widely published, she has twice received the President's Award for Excellence in Teaching and Learning and in 2019 was awarded a Research Fellowship.  She is currently developing an open-source website to support teachers' assessment literacy with the support of funding from the Teaching Council (John Coolahan Research Support Framework).

In conversation with: Professor Michael O’Leary holds the Prometric Chair in Assessment at DCU and is Director of the Centre for Assessment Research Policy and Practice at the Institute of Education, Dublin City University. He leads a programme of research at CARPE focused on assessment in education and in the workplace. 

Focus of the Research Conversation

The springboard for this conversation is a body of research in educational assessment spanning a decade.  Bookended by a doctoral study in a Band 1 DEIS school in Co. Louth (supported by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment), and the development of a website called U2CanLearn.ie (with the assistance of the Teaching Council and an IoE Research Fellowship), the conversation will focus on teacher assessment literacy as fundamental to teacher professionalism.  Findings from two large-scale national research projects on classroom assessment, coupled with insights from the design and provision of professional development over many years, will provide considerable food for thought, not least in the context of national curriculum reform.  It is anticipated that amongst the topics discussed will be what it means to be assessment literate; the implications of assessment literacy for teaching and learning; the knowledge, skills, competences and attitudes teachers need and how these needs can be addressed and avenues for further research.